The Kirby Company has been building vacuum cleaners for over 90 years based on the original Kirby design by inventor Jim Kirby. In fact, Jim was so prolific as an inventor that today there are over 200 patents attributed to his success.

His first design used water to separate the dirt, but deciding it was too inconvenient to empty, he developed a system that blew dirty air into a bag.

Jim designed vacuums for George Scott and Carl Fetzer after World War I, but his name was not used until the 1930s. His 1925 Vacuette Electric was the predecessor of the modern day multi-attachment vacuums. It is this product that the Kirby company have spent years perfecting, improving design and function such as the innovative TecDrive Variable Power Assist that helps propel the vacuum as well as the introduction of a HEPA filtration system.

In 1970, the Kirby Classic became a huge success and Kirby has been an easily recognized brand name the world over.